by Deborah Cole (On Twitter: @doberah http://twitter.com/#!/doberah)CANNES, France Japan's devastating earthquake and tsunami in March had a powerful impact on Naomi Kawase's haunting new film in competition at Cannes, the Japanese director said on Wednesday.   "Hanezu" -- one of 20 contenders for the coveted Palme d'Or to be awarded by jury president Robert De Niro on Sunday -- tells the story of a love triangle in the mountainous Asuka region, seen as the birthplace of the Japane...

Sunday, May 27-------The Romanian film 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS by director Cristian Mungiu (whose celebrated debut film THE DEATH OF MR. LAZARESCU was cited by US film critics as one of the best of last year) has won the prestigious Palme D'Or at the 60th Cannes Film Festival. The film, which was picked up for US distribution by IFC First Take, is the first film from Romania so honored. The prizes in all categories were presented prior to the Closing Night screening of the Quebec fi...

The awards ceremony concluded a fortnight of sunny star crowded Croisette. Power block busters came to make an impression along with glamourous stars, while the competition films from non commercial cinematographies made an impact with the critics.The Roumanian 4 months... Palme D'Or Winner and Persepolis were among the ones much discussed after their official screening.INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION JURY Palme d’Or: "4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days," Cristian Mungiu, (Romania)Grand Prix : "The Mournin...

With Mogari No Mori (The Mourning Forest), the Japanese director Naomi Kawase is in Cannes once again, 10 year after her Camera d’Or for Moe No Suzaku, and four years after Shara was presented in Competition. In this new feature film, the young filmmaker focuses on an old man and his relationship with one of the home’s nursing staff. They are both heavily haunted by the loss of someone dear. Bereavement fuels The Mourning Forest: the word Mogari from the original title denotes the period of ...